Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 84.2: 1995, Ruiz

Chapter 84.2: 1995, Ruiz  

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I have to be."

"Why do you have to be? Is there something wrong?"

I breathed into the phone, curling the cord around my finger as usual. The nerves in my tummy were twirling around like the cord. On the other end of the line, Tony was waiting patiently, as he had been for the last ten minutes. 

"No, nothing's wrong. I just need my job back. Can you tell Veronixxxa for me? Is it too late?"

"Veronixxxa's here right now, actually. We were playing video games."

I paused at this information. I totally hadn't meant to talk to her directly. The same rock that had fallen into my gut last night was preventing me from having the courage to do that. But now, this situation. It was inevitable. It had been anyway, I'd been kidding myself...

"Yeah... Okay, I can talk to her about it."

"Alright. I'll get her. One moment."

Always formal. Tony was so well spoken. I always noticed that about him. The sound of the phone hitting wood met my ear, and I waited, getting more nervous by the second. My lips curled into my mouth. 

As the phone scraped against the wood again, it had begun to enter into my many thoughts about how I should not be scared of talking to Veronixxxa. But there was still fear. Fear that wouldn't go-

"Yeah, hello! Been calling your house forever! Where you been? Miss you!"

Veronixxxa's cheerful valley-like accent exploded from the phone and I couldn't help but smile despite my thoughts. But then what she'd said...calling your house. Oh god.

"Y-you called my house...?"

"Oh, yeeeah. Yeah. Your mom answered and said you weren't home. So I said I'd call back later. Are you home now? Where you been?"

Shit. My hand went over my mouth, unsure what to do. No doubt my Mama had not appreciated those phone calls. What was I supposed to say to that? I swallowed and took a few seconds to gain composure, preparing myself.

"Um...so I'm living with Miss Cha Cha now... Family prob- problems... Things... You can call me here, Tony has the number and..." My nails started to scrape the yellow prairie flower wallpaper in my nervousness, but I quickly stopped them to preserve the wallpaper. That was one thing I couldn't destroy.

"Whaaat? You're living with Miss Cha Cha?! I want to live there!"

Somehow this made me laugh. Of course she'd jump at that small part of what I'd said, with her loving Miss Cha Cha so much. But my brain flashed an image to me in that moment, reminding me of her and Miss Cha Cha incredibly only last week. Where she and Veronixxxa had exchanged a business card. Sudden curiosity. What had happened from that exchange? Anything? But I couldn't ask about that now...

"Yeah, I'm living with her now." Strange strength at this memory. "I had some family problems so I'm staying here. So if you need to call me, you can get my new number from Tony or I could give it to you." I swallowed again, the nervousness still affecting my body but no longer my brain. 

"Oh, okay. I'll get your number from Tony, then. So what's this about a job?"

She sounded hopeful or else my ear was playing tricks. I gripped the phone, filled with determination. "Yeah, um, I need that dishwashing job. But, uh, I know your father said he wasn't gonna wait on me and I missed a lot of work. Is it, um... It is still available?" Shyness was contending with my new confidence, asking this huge thing of her. Was it going to work? It had to. What other option...

"Sure it can be. Tony took over your work, getting full part time. But I'm sure he'd be happy to split it."

"Oh... Oh, good. Could you maybe tell your dad I was out because of 'family problems' or something..."

"Yeah, for sure! He can't fire somebody for having family problems. Don't worry about it!"

"Thank god. No, thank you, actually."

"Not a problem. So, when do you want to come into work?"

How she was not asking me about these "family problems" was astounding me. But as I paused again, it hit me how she wouldn't and never would. She had "family problems" of her own that she'd never told anybody, and which I'd only found out because I'd entered her family world. She'd hid these things for so long, her troubles with her father. Of course she wouldn't ask me about my family after that. Relief spread over me like a comforting blanket.

"Um, tomorrow would be ideal. I want to start working as soon as possible."

"Oh, it can't be that soon. Daddy has to flip the schedules to put you in, put you on payroll... That will take a day at least."

The faint shout of Tony on the other end oozed into the phone, but I couldn't make it out. "What was that?" I asked, wondering if he was shouting at the video games they were supposed to be playing. But then guilt melted into my gut, and I shifted my footing, uncomfortable. I was taking Veronixxxa away from their video game.

"That Tony. He's so, so nice. He just said, 'let her take my hours tomorrow!'"

A fast blush appeared on my cheeks. "No, I don't want to intrude..." I shifted my footing again.

"You know that when Tony offers something to somebody he means it, though. I bet you could replace him tomorrow and it wouldn't be a problem. I'll yell at daddy tonight and make him do it. I'll tell him you were out because of family problems, too. We'll make it happen."

"'Yell'? Um, okay," I said, staring at the floor hard. They were being so nice. 

"Yeah. Hm. Hey, you know, we're just here playing video games. We got Indian food. You like curry and naan? You want to come over? Tony has two controllers. You like video games?"

Oh. The blush deepened, not expecting anything like this. Yes, I did like video games, but. My eyes traveled to the kitchen doorway, imagining Georgina in Miss Cha Cha's bedroom taking an afternoon nap. Miss Cha Cha wasn't going to be back from her class until six. A small smile appeared on my lips, thinking of Georgina so safely under the covers, the good feeling mixing with my relief about having my job back. About being able to maybe help Ambrose achieve his dream, and find mine.

"No, that's okay. Maybe next time."

"You like video games, though, right? Ambrose said you like video games."

The blush started to pound in my ears, with the mention of Ambrose. "Yeah, I like video games."

"Good! Good. Then next time I'm going to kick your ass on Sega."

"Not if I kick your's first."

"Hahaha! Yeah, girl!"

We laughed together for a minute, then said our good-byes. When I hung up, the most amazing feeling of relief was running through my veins, but as I thought about it more it started to dampen. The fearful nervousness mixed with it as I stood there, but not enough to completely eradicate the goodness gathering inside.